Singaporean's thirst for data won't die anytime soon, and a new telco seeks to take a slice of the data pie.

From Monday (Feb. 12), the company, called, Zero1, will be offering a pretty crazy-sounding plan: unlimited data, 200 mins talk time and 200 free SMS for a low subscription fee of S$19 per month, which includes a waiver of registration and SIM card fees.

After they have hit their pre-registration cap of 3,000 registrations, it will cost $29.99 a month, along with a one-time joining fee of $10.70 and $21.40 for the new SIM card. 

Now the third virtual telco to enter the market, Zero1 (which brings to mind Zero One, the fictional city in the Animatrix universe where machines built their own nation) is leasing their mobile network from Singtel.

The plan they are offering will launch in March.

Whut? Third virtual telco?

Yes, prior to Zero1 joining the fray, apart from Circles.Life, another company called Zero Mobile was the second virtual telco to come onboard.

Zero Mobile started services in December last year, even though not many people might remember or recall their launch off hand.

Currently, the virtual telco, which also rides on Singtel's network, charges $40 a month for 6GB of mobile data for a base plan with unlimited local calls — $5 less from the original $45 pricing which was reported last year.

Subscribers can essentially get their services for free if they refer a maximum of five people, as each referral earns them a recurring credit of $8 per month for every person, before March 31.

However, the catch is to do so, you need to sign up for  Zero+, which comes with a joining fee of $50.

Zero1 data's unlimited, but not the speed

Back to Zero1's unlimited data plan, even if you miss out on the early-bird promotion and end up with $29.99 for unlimited data, it still works out to be cheaper than other telcos —

• Singtel's unlimited data comes as an add-on called "Data X Infinity". It is $39.90 on top of a base plan subscription, which works out to be at least $68.90 + $39.90  = $108.80.
• StarHub doesn't have unlimited data, but you get 35GB with DataJump and unlimited Weekend data, at $238, and has a current promotion where you get 30GB data at $119 for a SIM only plan.
• M1 offers unlimited data at $118 for a 24-month mySIM contract and $98 for its unlimited data SIM-only plan.

That said, you obviously don't get a data plan this cheap without a catch.

You may get to have unlimited data, but you'll only get it at 4G speeds for the first 3GB.

The speed of any further data you use will be "regulated" (read: throttled), "so you enjoy unlimited data at no extra cost. No worries about the data cap".

While we don't know for sure how much the speed will be affected beyond 3GB, it's very likely to affect heavy data users, i.e. video watchers and streamers.

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Also, you may port over your existing postpaid number to Zero1, but there are few requirements you'll have to fulfil:

• Your number must be a post-paid number with your existing telco.
• Your number must be registered under your NRIC/ID with your existing telco.
• Your number cannot be inactive/suspended with your existing telco.
• There is no outstanding balance with your existing telco.
• Your number must no longer be under contract with your existing telco.

However, you might not be able to retain your number of choice when you re-contract with them; the minimum contract period is one month, and should you want to terminate your contract, you will have to write to Zero1 30 days in advance. 

They have also yet to bring in handsets at press time, so it's essentially a SIM-card only mobile connectivity plan. 

If you need to make international calls, you can't directly dial by putting a "+" sign in front of the number, as that function will only be available in June. Instead, you'll have to do it the IDD way by dialling 1511 + country code + area code + tel. no.

All that notwithstanding, especially for those who prioritise large amounts of data over all else, the entrance of Zero1 could certainly change the game for other telcos.

If you're interested in registering your interest, you can do so here.

Top image via Zero1's website